Offensive line

With two fill-ins starting up front, Josh Alabi at left tackle and Wyatt Davis at right guard, things went easier than should have been expected. Despite the patchwork look, the Huskies didn't get to Dwayne Haskins — outside of a coverage sack — until deep into the third quarter. By then, Haskins had thrown three touchdown passes and set up another with his arm for a 28-3 lead. It helped that Washington came in ranked No. 102 in the nation in sacks with only 21. The Buckeyes, offensively and defensively, lost focus and Washington scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as a result, but, whew, they hung on.

Grade: B

Running game

Mike Weber's success early was key, wrecking the Huskies' plan to drop eight into coverage. This truly was a game where the run set up the pass and most of the credit goes to Weber, who was flirting with 100 yards on the ground by halftime. His sidekick J.K. Dobbins struggled, but with Weber keeping the defense honest that led to a big game for Haskins. Alternating Dobbins and Weber each series this season is certainly open to second guessing, especially by those who feel the more dynamic Dobbins should get the bulk of the carries. But the Buckeyes should have just stuck with Weber exclusively when Washington was mounting its comeback and yards from OSU were hard to come by.

Grade: B

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins and H-back Parris Campbell celebrate their touchdown connection in the first quarter of the Rose Bowl.(Photo: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports)

Passing game

In what was probably his final game with OSU, Haskins was 25 of 37 for a modest (for him) 251 yards and three huge TD passes, giving him 50 — fifty! — for the season. Early on, the offense looked out of sorts with Washington dropping eight into coverage, but once Weber got going that opened up the passing lanes. Washington had allowed only 9 touchdown passes this season, tied for fourth-lowest in the nation, but by halftime Haskins had already hit nine different receivers and thrown for three scores. Parris Campbell caught the first one and finished with 11 receptions, giving him OSU's single-season record with 90. The Buckeyes couldn't put Washington away and Haskins looked rattled by late-game pressure (something he'll have to work on if he goes pro), putting a smudge on an otherwise great day.

Grade: B plus

Defensive line

OSU's depth up front really showed in this game. On the opening series of the third quarter, backups Jashon Cornell and Davon Hamilton snuffed out a scoring threat that could have changed the complexion of the game. Cornell sacked Jake Browning for a 7-yard loss on second-and-6 from the OSU 32 and then Hamilton dropped running back Salvon Ahmed for a 4-yard loss, forcing a punt. That sequence turned out to be huge.

Grade: B

Linebackers

It's normally a good sign when the Buckeyes jump out front by 18 at halftime because, despite all of the leaks on defense this season, they usually make the correct adjustments. (Aside from the Purdue game.) Tackling, a sore spot, was solid for three quarters. In the fourth quarter, with the desperate Huskies looking for a second unanswered TD, Malik Harrison came on the blitz on fourth-and-6 from the OSU 48, forcing an incompletion. That was a rare stop in the fourth quarter, but it was a big one.

Grade: B-minus

Defensive backs

Freshman cornerback Jeff Okudah picked a great time to have his best game of the season. He had four solo tackles, but his biggest play of the game was breaking up a pass on fourth-and-4 from the OSU 23 in the third quarter. Jordan Fuller led the Buckeyes with 9 tackles and fellow safety Brendon White had 8, including two for loss. White, who also broke up a pass, really solidified the secondary down the stretch when he got a chance to play because of injuries and earned the right to start.

Special teams

Speaking of special teams, White had one of the biggest plays of the game, when he intercepted a 2-point conversion pass that could have put the Huskies within a field goal with time running out. When Johnnie Dixon recovered the ensuing onside kick, Urban Meyer could finally exhale and celebrate his final game as head coach. Terry McLaurin again led the charge on OSU's outstanding coverage units and Drue Chrisman boomed three of his eight punts more than 50 yards and had two downed inside the 20.

Grade: A

Coaching

The Buckeyes gave Urban Meyer a storybook send-off in his first (and probably last) Rose Bowl and a lot of credit has to go to his staff. They put together a game plan that worked to near-perfection for three quarters and kept their focus on the task at hand at a time when there is so much uncertainty on who will stay and go under new coach Ryan Day. Co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who only took the job because of his friendship with Meyer, is probably on the way out, and if that's the case, he's going out on a high note after there was so much dysfunction on his unit this season. Another 15 minutes on the clock and OSU fans might have escorted him out of town.